Friday, April 27, 2007

15 years off and the road back.

A few mis-tries over the last decade, a new pair of shorts or a jersey, some new Sidi Geniuses (why are they two sizes larger??) and Speedplays to replace my beloved Time mags, but nothing. Sure there was the occasional ride around the neighborhood and high hopes, but nothing. What was different about July of 2006?? I don't know but I made a big gamble and luckily it paid off (in a way-more about that later). I went to Bicycle Boulevard and bought a brand new 2006 Fuji team pro bike to replace my aging Trek 2300!! 8 to 10 speeds and at least 3.5 pounds lighter. Wow-if I only had this bike in 1990 right??

So the first few rides are what I would call typical for a new cyclist. Arse hurt like a mother and there was none of what I thought was a natural ability to ride a bike coming back. In fact, it would end up being months of training (and riding in the 39/23) before I even thought big improvements were being made. Thank goodness I hired a coach (Brent Evans-Endurance Sports Solutions) straight away. On the plus side, I was motivated like you wouldn't believe and losing weight fast. I was a 139 lb racer back in the 80's and could climb and time trial very well if I may say so. When I hopped back on the Fuji last year I was pushing 175 pounds. 165 came quickly and then later 155, but my ability to ride fast or fly uphills was slow to react. I also got a proffesional fit for the first time from Mike Vannucci (Bike Authority) called the Wobblenaught Fit and it was money very well spent.

Eventually I saw myself getting more comparable to others locally and started to hang throughout the winter club (Square Wheels) rides. This bolstered my confidence even more and this is where we are basically at. Training in a calculated and very slow progression as laid out by Brent. Also some science involved with the use of a Saris Power Tap and Cycling Peaks WKO software. Making new friends and even doing some racing finally (also more on that soon) has added a nice new dimension to my life.

About Me

Hello fellow racers. I am a racer from old back again for a 2nd try. I raced in the late 80's and early 90's before a decade in the Hotel and Restaurant business and 70 to 90 hour weeks stopped my racing. Finally in the summer of 2006 I got the bicycle bug again and it wasnt even a few rides when I said "I'm gonna race again!!" So here I am on my way back to a healthier lifestyle and what I love almost more than anything else, Racing!!!